The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 639, 21 May 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1878.

A meeting of the N. A. and P. Association will take place on Thursday, the 30th inst. Business—Appointment of Secretary, <fcc. A meeting of the Early Closing tion will be bet I at the Wear-street Hali to-morrow evening, at 8.0 clock. The time-table for the Southern line has been altered as follow-. :-A train will leave Mahcno for Oamaru at 3.23, instead of 3.43. as previously announced. Special trains will run fn in Oaim-ru. to Fort Moeraki as re<p.dred.

The weekly meeting of the St. Paul's j Ymmi! Men's Association was held last evening. Mr. M'Farlane in tho chair. After the , preliminary business of the meeting, readings and recitations were given, upon which there arose a little friendly discussion. At the next meeting, -Mr. K. H. MU'herson -will read a paper on the American \\ ar. Mr. Saunders has been returned to represent Cheviot. The concert in aid of the funds of the Otepnpo school will take place this evening, at the Athenreum. Otepopo. The entertainment will he varied, ar.d several ladies and j gentlemen from Oamaru will take pert in it. ] We are requested to inform the members I of the Philharmonic .-oeiety that there wi'i j not he .1 practice this week. Tho tirsr. . practice will he held in the Masonic Wall on i Wednesday evening, the 20th ins.t., when I' j is intended t<» put one of Mozart's or! Haydn's Masses in practice f..r the next .Society's concert. ; The following extracts from the 20: h j annual report of the Australian Mutual Pro- j vi.Unt Society will prove interesting j to the members. and affords proi.r j of the magnitude and unr-campl-d j .iii.'i;e=s of the operations of an institution j that .-fartcl comparatively hut a shell j while .'-o in Sydney :— i: During the twelv.- j months ending Slst December, 1577, then j have be.n received 7.471 proposals for sums j amounting to I 2.5«5.100, of which 2.324 j were declined, withdrawn, or not completed, j amounting to L953,t»30, leaving 5,150 proposals accepted and completed assuring M.550.070. The new premiums amount to L7S,2<\3 17s. sd. Claims have arisen under 224 life policies by the death of 107 member?, amounting to LI 17,434 4s. 3d., including I.10,.1(!0 4s. 3d. for bonus additions. The accumulated fund now stands at L2.26f».5f'2 25., showing an incr.-a.se of L 305.120 Ss. Sd., the balance of receipts i.ver disbursements during the year. The number of policies issued since the establishment of the Society to the 31st 1577. i 3 4<>,1()5, assuring L15,3°4,121, of which *>,G3l> have been discontinued, leaving 30,475 existing policies assuring LI 1,741,954 The annual income from premiums amounts to 1.4iC..C43 143. IM-. from interest to [.12i).(W6 S*. lid., making the total annual revenue of the Society 1.534,053 4s. 10.1. The final year of this the sixth quinquennium having nw been entered u; on, the directors take the opportunity of inviting sprcial attention to the unusual advantages which the Society offers to assurants. The rate of interest which is n..w being reali-ied en the invested fund-, and the favorable mortality which has been experienced, combined with tho continuously increising amouiit of new transacted, and the d"ere.rdng ratio of cxp-nditure. afford ample reason for the b-kef that the profit of the now closing quinquc- nial period will be very satisfactory. Under the Society's new regulations every p.diey etFectftl on or .before 31st December next, and theu in force, will be entitled to participate, in the surplus to be then ascertained. A favorable opportunity therefore presents itself to the members to increase their own jtfuuraneev, or to induce their friends to become members and to share in the advantages which they are now enjoying." Tn another column we publish a letter from tho President of the Philharmonic .Society, complaining of the tone of our en'tici'm of the Society's performance. Notwithstanding the President's protestations to the contrary, we are still of opinion that there were those at the concert who had formed a determination to have some fun, and th-y had it to the annoyance of those who were listening to the performance. In writing of the misbehaviour of certain of the audience, we did not mean to deprecate the applause which greeted the performers j at the conclusion of their efforts, for we cau applaud as heartily as anyone, and. so far from denouncing such a practice, we approve of it ; but we intended our remarks to apply | to a disorderly few, whose whispering and

milling were audible throughout the hall uring the performance of some of the more elicate pieces. It is all very well for the ■ resident of the Society to take up the iiuse of the misdemeanants ; hut ho should emember that the character of his song and is lusty singing of it rendered him proof gainst almost any interruption, whilst there j nothing so unnerving, especially to ladies, s whispering in an audience during the xercis •of their efforts to please. We have mown some perform rs who could make heir appearance on such oeca-ions with—- ' Kerc we are again,"' and others who could ira/.en out any rebuff, but they are not plenum!. Ordinary musicians feel no inclina:ion for chaffing their audience, and appreciate its moderate- behaviour when they are mentally j-raying for the stage to open and liide them from the gaze of a thousand eyes. Now, as to our omission to criticise the performances of those who sang in the second part—really we did nut know what to say. We might have given our readers a list of what was done, and the names of the performers who did it; but that wou'd have been interesting only to the performers ; for t' ■'i of the public who were present already knew all about it. and those who were absent would scarce]; care about reading anvthing of the kind. Wo have always been impressed with the idea that amateurs, as a rule, preset- not to see their names in print, and the custom has been to studiously avoid mentioning their names in commenting upon their performances, lint a reversal of this state of affairs seems to be creeping upon us, and amateurs would prefer—so it is inferred—that such a custom should lie abandoned, and full scope allowed journalists for criticism. This is what is meant, wo presume, for we are told th«.t wo ignored the performances r-f the second part of the programme. It is all very well for a vocalist, like the worthy President of the riceiety to ehalleiiL'o criticism ; but how many arc there that could do the same? That gentleman would scarcely have relished seeing his name in print as having achieved I a success, with, probably, the names ol one or two others keeping him company, whilst those performers who were less successful in their efforts, perhaps from some unfortuitous circumstance, were subjected to unfavorable comment. We have no doubt thab he would not have liked this, ami yet thi.i.s the position he would have us to take up. unless he means that we should gu'. fulsome and unmerited praise to the uiuuc ! eessful ; but he would surely not approve o { that, and the subjets of the flattery wouh 1 appreciate the kindness far less, 'ilio publh ! has a pretty good idea of music, and the\ I would only ridicule such an attempt t< ' render everything smooth by the liberal us!of hiiicer. It is a mistake to suppose ilia

deafening and vociferous applau-e is a true ? tell-tale of excellence and of the apprecia- , tion of the public: at all events, it is not t verv complimentary to many of Use performers ;'.-' Friday ceiling's, or, any other < concert, to sny so. Applause is r- guhtod by tho character of the music, the popularifcy :,r orhcrwi;'- of the perfoim--.. and. the ii.-.tu>.\: of ;i:e pen >rm:ince. We greatly , ri--.:ret that our liudwd of v ■_; has not mot v,- ; ti: the apprcvii of the President ..f the Phii'.iar-.M.nie : : -":i -ly : V.ii; | our comments are alv.. •'.;,"■■• regulated as '.iv 'link best. We co-i-i-ier ourselves a sui'lieiently.good judge of imisic.il merit to render it unnecessary to seek or listen to the advice .of others, :,-id ar--. oblivions of having .-howa favoritism. We made particular : mention of the iv l fonennce of the first part. | I because it consisted of a special class of j ! music, in v.Lieh the iiv-mbers if tiie Society took part, and the performance of which was a true t-st of the musical qualifications of its members, indi\ idiially ami collectively. The President of the Society fears that our conduct will create ill-feeling amongst the members of the Soei-ty. Nothing of the kind. They are not' so sensitive and jealous as to deoend up n the mention of their names flatteringly in a newspaper for tho maintenance "f harmony amongst th.cm. Jf

we may be allowed, to express an opinion

indulgence in newspaper correopondc-nei; ami attempting to show that son.-.-l.ody ha* been ill-used, is more likely to throw the apple of discord amongst the members of the Society.